HHS Grants for Dentists

The American Dental Association (ADA), along with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is offering relief funds to dentists too.

This means that dentists who were earlier unable to receive relief can now send applications to get Provider Relief Fund.

This initiative has been successful because of the joint efforts of the ADA and the Health Resources and Services Administration which is responsible for distributing the fund.

This initiative will now allow eligible dentists to get as much as 2% of their annual patient revenue.

The ADA Council on Government Affairs advocated for this funding to provide the much-needed relief to dentists, especially during the pandemic.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the important details of this advocacy.

Eligibility Criteria of HHS Grants for Dentists

Here’s the list of eligibility criteria for providing relief funds to dentists under HHS grants:

Eligibility Criteria of HHS Grants for Dentists

Dentists who have billed their state’s Medicaid managed care plans, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or Medicaid directly for dental health services within the period between 1^st January 2018 and 31^st December 2019.
Dentists who are owners of an included subsidiary that directly billed their state’s CHIP, Medicaid or Medicaid managed care plans for dental health services between 1^st January 2018 and 31^st December 2019.
Dental service providers who have directly served health insurance companies for oral healthcare services, or dentists who own a recognized subsidiary and directly billed the health insurance companies for oral healthcare services.
Certified dental care providers who don’t accept insurance and have also billed patients for dental care services, or dentists who own a certified subsidiary that doesn’t accept insurance and directly billed the patients from dental care services.

Some additional requirements for dentists to be eligible for HHS dental relief funds include the applicant dentist:

Not having received payments from General Medicare Distribution’s US$ 50 billion budget.
Having filed a federal tax return for financial years 2017, 2018 or 2019, or being an entity excluded for having to file an income tax return along with having no beneficial owner who is required to file income tax returns to the federal government, such as state-owned healthcare clinic or hospital owners.
Having provided dental care to patients after 31^st January 2018.
Not having permanently stopped dental care to patients directly or indirectly through recognized subsidiaries. On the other hand, dental care clinics which were not operating during the pandemic are also eligible to receive the HHS dental care grant.
Is an individual having provided dental care under Form 1040, Schedule C, Line 1, but not reported income on a W-2 form, which is required from a statutory employee?

How to apply for HHS Grants for Dentists?

If you, as a certified dentist, wish to apply for HHS grants, then you will need to do a little research beforehand which helps to make the application process smoother. Simply visit HHS’s official website and click on the “for providers” tab. You will see a set of instructions on how to fill out the form.

Some essential documents you need to keep handy when filling out the online application include:

Tax forms were filed for the past three years – 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Form 941
Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return (for Q1 2020)

Medicaid and non-Medicaid dental care providers will find the instructions clear and easy to follow. Make sure to keep a note of the loss of revenue suffered from the lockdown restrictions. This figure needs to be listed as a negative, such as –US$10,000.

How do the HHS Grants for Dentists help Dental Care Providers?

The application for HHS grants for dentists is easy to complete. After every segment of the application process is completed you will have to wait a while to receive a confirmation email stating that the last application step was successful.

This might sound like a tedious process however the overall process is very simple and convenient.

Successful applicants can receive additional funds that will help cover unpaid bills which have piled up in most dentist offices when lockdown restrictions prevented them from regular practice.

Conclusion

The US Department of Human and Health Services has started allocating relief funds for dentists whose practices have suffered financial losses due to being shut during the pandemic lockdown.

This is an excellent initiative by the federal government to lend a helping hand to the struggling dental care industry within the US.

Reference links:

https://www.schiffcpa.com/

https://www.cda.org/Home/News-and-Events/Newsroom/

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HHS Grants for Dentists | Application | Eligibility